Author: Cherry Cullen

Yes, implant is due Thursday. I go up to London with youngest daughter tomorrow night after I have tidied up at work and put out of office on email etc. Admission to RNTNE at 7.30am. I have some wet wipes and instructions for wiping around behind my ears etc. Continue reading “Two days to go”

Very exciting to receive a letter, at long last, arranging my admission and operation. I have to be at the RNTNE hospital, Greys Inn Road, London, at 7.30am on the 24th March, fasted. I have to confirm that I will be there “by telephoning the number above…….” Don’t they know I am deaf? Continue reading “So at last we are in business”

The stereo implant has one processor and array into that ear (cochlear) and an extension over to the other ear and an array into that cochlear. So binaural hearing from one implant. I was chatting online with someone with a cochlear implant and when I said which implant they were planning she was very negative. She said no way would she have the stereo and that the device was quite an old-fashioned one. Continue reading “Stereo implant – do I or don’t I?”

I don’t think the RNTNE hospital is any more deaf aware than anyone else! I went back to the receptionist up at the pre-op assessment office and explained that I had problems lip reading as she smiles. I had guessed that she wanted me to take a seat from her gesture but she could have been speaking Mandarin for all I could make out. I was going to do what we usually do and just get on with it, but then I thought about it and decided she could learn!! Continue reading “Deaf awareness”

Arrived at RNTNE hospital with minutes to spare for the appointment at 10.30am with the consultant “and Panel” (I had two letters telling me the appointment was at 10.30am). Checked in with the cochlear implant office and the lady looked bewildered. Said the consultant is not there on Monday morning and I must have it wrong. I produced a letter and she apologised profusely and said appointment was for 1.30pm. What a good thing I didn’t plan to do a clinic in the afternoon but booked the whole day off. Continue reading “Getting the go-ahead”

Copy of a letter from the consultant at the RNTNE to local consultant arrived Saturday. I saw the address on the envelope and thought whoopee, news of when I might have the op. But no, just information including: Continue reading “Oh no! We’ve only just begun?”

Second visit to the hospital today! The audiological scientist (nice lady from South Africa) had arranged to see me at 12.30 – I suspect she missed her lunch break to fit me in! She adjusted the settings on my Naidas to see if she could improve the quality. My hearing loss does make it extremely difficult to fix with hearing aids but I had found the Naidas were too loud. I still couldn’t hear speech clearly and could hear all the horrible stuff like road noise and background noise. Continue reading “Second assessment”